The quote from the Sufi poet of Persia, Rabia says much about this season and, the opportunities it offers. It is a season of earthy pleasures, the sensuality of the earth is opening all around us, this world. At the same time, it promises a deep connection the world we have forgotten, that world, where we come from and to which we will return.

This is a busy time in the cosmos. We have just experienced (Wednesday, April 23rd) an exact square of four powerful planets. We are still in range of that combination during this new Moon which is also a solar eclipse. This eclipse will be visible in Antarctica, Australia and the Southwestern Pacific and Indian Oceans. For the moment the light and influence of the Sun is cut off from the earth. This makes a new Moon during a solar eclipse especially a moment of new beginnings, a chance to start over from the point of view of both Sun and Moon. We are cut off from our source of light and life and then come back into the stream of the Sun’s rays, which fertilize our plans and our gardens.

We are in the lovely season of Taurus, and the song of birds and our own hearts can be heard here in the Northern Hemisphere where spring is firmly anchored. Beltane celebrations welcome the fire of the earth element. Beltane is the link between this world and the world of Faerie, nature spirits, devas. In order for the earth to be fruitful, it is necessary to work in alliance with this other world. Because the earth has been so injured and ignored by the human realm, many of the invisible world have given up hope, and have retreated to another dimension and time. The Fire Festivals, especially Beltane, provide gates between our two worlds of existence. In the Southern Hemisphere, this is the season of Samhain, when the otherworld is most accessible to those who listen and feel for the earth’s heartbeat. Beltane festival takes place as the Pleiades rise at dawn. The sisters have returned to daylight.

‘… the greyDawn and the Pleiades before him danced,Shedding sweet influence.’ — John Milton

The full Moon of Scorpio on May 14th will occur quite soon after the Beltane degree (15° Taurus) has been reached. Now is the time to begin the song and dance of earth praise and connection, and I will further explore the cosmic powers of Beltane at the full Moon. It is a time of appreciation for our bodies, for the food we eat, for the natural world into which we are interwoven. It is the season of the Lady who walks the land and where her foot falls, spring up the white flowers of the trefoil.

I married Isis on the fifth day of May

But I could not hold on to her very long

So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away

For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong. — Bob Dylan

You may experience, or continue to experience the powerful energies of the Grand Cross in Cardinal signs. Uranus and Mars continue to provide the shock and surprise element in the signs of the Self (Aries) and the other (Libra). Pluto and Jupiter continue their exploration of opposite signs; one to remake the workplace, and the other to deepen our connection to home life. Mercury is pressed close to the Taurus Sun and Moon and may sing lyrics never heard before. The potential of this time opens our eyes to the choices we make moment by moment to remake the world, a kinder and ever more creative place, where all are aware of their interconnection. The Sabian Symbol for this new Moon and Solar eclipse is: ‘ A fully decorated Christmas tree; the ability to create inner happiness in dark hours.’

Libra full Lunar Eclipse 2014 Can you feel the excitement and deep creativity arising at this moment? The chart for the lunar eclipse, which takes place Tuesday, April 15 at 3:42 am is a clear picture of the energy and possibility available to us all! The eclipse will be visible for those of us who live in the Americas, if we have clear skies.

This total lunar eclipse is the first of four total lunar eclipses over the next two years. You can find out more about the astronomical and traditional significance of these eclipses at this site: http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-blood-moon-lunar-eclipses-2014-2015. But this tax day eclipse is a cornucopia of excitement and action contained within its planetary patterns. It can already be felt as I write this and will reverberate long afterwards as well. The Moon has several companions, who give an earth consciousness message to this full Moon and eclipse. Ceres is exact to the degree of the Moon and represents the earth as mother, our home and provider. Her Greek name is Demeter, and, she has been involved in the pattern of new and full Moon charts over the last few months and year. She is the mother who mourns for her daughter, Persephone, and who brought winter to the earth in her sorrow.

The other very close companion to Moon and Ceres is Vesta. She is goddess of the hearth, the place where the law of women is found no matter how repressive the outer society. She represents the mysteries of women, which were squashed and supplanted by patriarchal invaders of the Mediterranean region five thousand years ago. In Roman society the vestal virgins were priestesses who kept the fires sacred to Vesta, and performed secret rites as students, and teachers of her mysteries. After thirty years service they could leave, marry and own property. Presently we are in the middle of a conversation about the role of women in society, government and as head of the family. Vesta and Demeter represent two personae that women play everywhere. They are in charge of fertility, food, and new life, but they are also seen as the arbiters of societal relationships and the mystery of the human body and the body of the earth. The crisis around the health of the planet, and our relationship to the earth becomes central as they take center stage with the full Moon this month.

And of course, Moon, Mars, and the two deities, Ceres and Vesta are all located in the sign of Libra, which is about balance, about relationship, about marriage, about justice. Venus, presently sandwiched between Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, rules Libra. The healing power of Chiron is perhaps through the path of universal love (Pisces) and the spiritual power of music and release (Neptune). And now we must look at the very powerful energies of the planetary squares underway. Uranus, the revolutionary, is about to make another perfect square to Pluto—he who will not be ignored or turned back. Uranus is quite violent in Aries, and is at this moment, conjunct Mercury. We have seen a series of angry confrontations between demonstrators, counter demonstrators, police and world leaders. Pluto in Capricorn exacerbates whatever tension exists in corporate and political spheres. From clients and friends I hear of angry clashes in the work place, Capricorn. Mercury, conjunct Uranus in Aries, is not diplomatic, and war talk, between individuals and nations can be expected. Perhaps the fact that Mars (ruler of Aries) is in Libra will balance out the quick and hostile anger that can arise from all this Aries energy! In a few days, Mars, in retrograde, will form an exact grand cross with Uranus, Pluto, and Jupiter. The potential for manifestation of good and bad is great. Jupiter is opposite Pluto in the sign of Cancer. There is an expansion of family concerns. Pluto and Jupiter are brothers. Jupiter rules the upper world; Pluto ruled the underworld. They are equal in power, although not always in visibility. Once again we are given the opportunity to contemplate our relationship to opposite forces. The more we can absorb difference in ourselves and society, the more likely that this can be a time of deep human evolution. With our huge population, we have no choice but to move as lightly as possible, to dance together. This Aries Sun and Libra Moon are symbolic of the forces to harmonize and to differentiate, which we all experience, and must finally move beyond. The Sabian Symbol for the Sun speaks to the moment, and is beautifully illustrated by the Rider-Waite X of Wands: ‘A man possessed of more gifts than he can hold: obsession by potentiality.’

The Sabian Symbol for the Moon can sum up this chart, which ricochets between Aries and Libra, Venus and Mars: ‘An eagle and a large white dove change into each other.’ Sabian Symbols are from An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar.